EQ do you use it?

Emotional intelligence (EQ) competencies lie beneath great performance for nearly every job in today’s workforce. As a business owner or interviewer, determining whether or not a candidate has strong EQ skills can make the difference between a successful hire and a disaster.

In fact when technical competencies are equal, greater EQ competencies often account for job success in many different positions. Moreover, for leadership positions, EQ competencies account for a much larger portion of job success.

A study that tracked the success and failure of new hires concluded that only 11% of employees failed because they lacked the technical competence to do the job. The remaining reasons new hires failed, were due to issues such as alienating co-workers, being unable to accept feedback, lack of ability to manage emotions, lack of motivation or drive and poor interpersonal skills.

Thus EQ is a key attribute that you must determine before you make an offer. Especially in a recession where more applicants are available, being careful in selection gives you great advantage over your competitors.

My Masters thesis was on emotional intelligence. I had studied the EQ in about 400 adolescents. My results showed that those with better EQ had better social adjustment and favorable academic performance. Though a relatively new term EQ is catching up real quick and its effects are for all to see.